Combined chair and stepladder



F. M. TUCKER 2,291,996

COMBINED CHAIR AND STEPLADDER Filed Feb. 10, 1941 Patented Aug. 4, 1942UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE commvnn 01:23:13; s'mrr-Annsa Frank M.Tucker, Los Gatos, Application February 10, 1941, Serial No. 378,272

1 Claim. (01. 155-42) This invention relates to a combined chair andstep ladder, and primary object of the present invention is to generallyimprove the specific construction of devices of this kind so as toprovide for maximum durability and efllciency in use.

Another object of the presentinvention is to provide a combined chairand step ladder which is extremely simple in construction, economical tomanufacture, and possessed of a shelf extension for the top step of theladder which may be folded when the device is conditioned for use as achair so as to flatly engage the floor and provide a firm broad bearingagainst the floor.

With the above objects in view, the present invention consists in thenovel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullsdescribed, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing a device constructed inaccordance with the present invention and conditioned for use as achair.

Figure 2 is a view of the device as shown in Figure 1, partly in frontelevation, and partly broken away and in section.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, of the device conditioned foruse as a step ladder.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper portion of thedevice as illustrated in Figure 3.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the present invention consists oftwo main sections A and B, and the section A consists of a pair ofspaced front legs 5 having inclined rear edge portions 6 at their upperends, and a pair of spaced rear legs I which are disposed in downwardlydiverging relation to the legs 5 and have their upper end portionsdisposed against the inclined edge portions 6 of the front legs 5. Theupper ends of the legs 5 and l are suitably secured together, anddisposed upon the upper ends of said legs so as to connect the legs atone side with those at the other side is a board I which is suitablyfastened to the upper ends of the legs. Disposed directly under theboard 8 and connecting the front legs I is an apron strip or bar 9 whichacts as a brace for the legs 5 and the board I. Another horizontal boardI. of a depth or width to connect both legs at each side of the sectionA and extending across so as to connect the legs 5 and I at one sidewith those at the other side, is arranged intermediate the ends of thelegs 5 and I and suitably fastened to the latter in position to form astep for the device when conditioned for use as a step ladder asillustrated in Figure 3. The ends of the board II are preferablyprovided with central extensions Illa which extend between the legs Iand I at each side of the device so as to eflectively brace them.

The section B includes a pair of spaced front legs II, and a pair ofspaced rear legs II. The legs H and I! are arranged in divergingrelation, and a board II is disposed and secured against the closelyrelated ends of the legs II and I2 so as to connect the legs II and I2at one side with those at the other side and to form the top step of thedevice when conditioned for use as a ladder as shown in Figure 3. Theseadjacent ends of the legs I I and I2 at each side of the device are inslightly spaced relation, and a spreader block I4 is disposed betweenthem and against the board II, as well as securely fastened in place toeffectively support the ends of the board I3 for substantially the fullwidth of the latter. The legs I 2 are somewhat longer than the legs IIand project beyond the ends of said legs I I which are considerablyspaced from the legs I2, so as to provide extensions I2a connected atintervals by cross-bars I5 and adapted to form a back for the devicewhen conditioned for use as a chair, as illustrated in Figure 1. Also,the legs I2 and their extensions Ila are such as to form the rear legsof the device when conditioned for use as the ladder as illustrated inFigure 3. Disposed upon the upper ends of' the legs II and hinged to theboard I as at I l is another board II whichconnects the legs II with thelegs I2 intermediate the ends of the latter. The arrangement is suchthat whenthe device is conditioned for use as a chair, the board I! willbe disposed co-extensive with the board 8 so as to cooperate with thelatter and form the bottom of the chair.' At this time, the legs II ofthe section 13 are disposed parallel with and against the rear edges ofthe legs 1 of the section A, and in order to fasten the sections in thisrelation. hasp fasteners III hinged to the legs I may be engaged overheaded pins I9 on the legs II. Upon swinging the hasp fasteners or hooksII out of engagement with the keeper pins IS, the section B may be swungabout the hinges It so as to dispose the board I! upon the board 8,thereby conditioning the device for use as a step ladder as shown inFigure 3, at which time the board I! constitutes an intermediate stepfor the ladder. Another board 20 connects the legs II and I2intermediate the ends of the legs II so as to form another intermediatestep for the device when conditioned for use as a ladder. Uponconditioning the device tor use as a ladder, the sections A and B may bemaintained in the relation of Figure 3 by means of other ed hooks orhasp iasteners 2! carried by the sides of the board 47 and arranged toengage headed keeper pins 22 provided on the side edges of the board anear the front edge of the ladder. At each side of the device, the legsll are connected with the legs is directly beneath board it by means ofstrips or apron bars 23 which provides support for the board I?substantially throughout the width of the latter and rigidly brace thelegs.

A shelf extension is provided for the board as which affords the topstep tor the device when used as a ladder, and this shelf extensionconsists of a board 24 hinged at 25 to the rear edge of the board orstep is and having a retaining flange it along the side and rear edgesthereof. The arrangement is such that when the device is conditioned foruse as a chair, the extension 24 may be folded over onto the board orstep is with the flange 2t engaging the front and side edges of theboard or step is so that twisting strains may not be placed on thehinges 25. This is especially important as the shelf extension 24 whenfolded onto the board or step i3, is adapted to flatly engage the doorwhen the device is conditioned for use as a chair as-shown in Figure 1.In this condition, the shelf extension 25 constitutes a broad fiatbearing against the floor so as to insure that the chair will be steady,

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction andmanner of use, as well as the advantages of the present invention willbe readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. Itwill be seen that the construction is relatively simple and economicalto manufacture, as well as exceedingly durable and efficient.

What I claim as new is:

A combined chair and step ladder comprising two main sections hingedlyconnected together, one of said sections comprising a pair of spacedfront legs, a pair of spaced rear legs secured at and bearing againstthe under side or said firstnamed board, the other main sectioncomprising inclined front legs and vertical rear legs, said rear legs ofthe last-named section extending beyond corresponding ends of the frontlegs thereof and connected together to form a back when the device isconditioned for use as a chair,

a further board connecting the upper ends 0! the front legs of saidsecond-named section with the inwrmediate portions of the rear legs ofthe latter and hinged along its front edge to the rear edge of thefirst-named board of the first-named section so as to cooperate with thelatter to form a chair bottom when the device is conditioned for use asa chair, the front legs of the secondnamed section being arranged tocontact the rear edges of the rear legs of the first-named section whenthe device is conditioned for use as a chair, and hasp fasteners carriedby the rear legs of the first-named section, and headed keeper pinscarried by the front legs or the second-named section engageable by saidhasp fasteners to secure the sections together when the device isconditioned for use as a chair, a board secured against the adjacentends of the legs of the second-named section and adapted to form a topstep for the device when conditioned for use as a ladder, and a shelfextension for said last-named board comprising a flanged board hinged tothe rear edge of said top stepforming board and adapted to be foldedonto the latter with the flange of' said sheli extension and disposedabout the side and front edges of top stepiorming board, said shelfextension being adapted to flatly engage the floor when folded onto thetop step-forming board and the device is conditioned for use as a chair.

FRANK M. TUCKER.

